The Tyra Banks Show

The Tyra Banks Show is an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks. On 16 September 2009, the show ran an episode entitled Is Your Sex Life Normal? Researchers for the show had solicited furry fans to appear on it a month beforehand.[1]

One couple who responded were Chew Fox and Tom Cat.[2] They appeared on the show with two other couples - one who enjoyed watching each other having sex with strangers, another where the female had "two different husbands".

Chew gave a short introduction, and agreed with Tyra that furry costumes were "quite similar" to mascot costumes worn at sporting events, but explained that furries wore costumes to their own events, where there were dances. The host teased Chew about going to Disneyland and "getting turned on" by Mickey Mouse, which she denied. However, she did admit to having "sex with the costume on", outlining the concept of strategically placed holes. The concept of beastiality was floated, but strongly denied.

Tom was then asked to show his "alter-ego"; he brought out his fursuit head, and gave a few visual details of both his character and Chew's. He said that they had been furries for "about six years". The topic moved to the concept of a furry wedding or reception; Chew explained that while not all attendees would be expected to dress up, they would encourage furries to attend. They were also asked about whether they were monogamous or polyamorous ("very much monogamous", which got an "awww").

Chew Fox stated in her Fur Affinity journal that being on the episode "was an immense honor", that it was "a wonderful experience", and that she "hope[ed] no offense [was] taken".[3] However, the episode was not well received among furry fans. Most felt the pair had failed to draw a line between their own spiritual beliefs and interests and the general activities of the fandom, with particular reference to the fursuit sex.[4] Chew Fox posted a response, chiding furry fans for the level of drama;[5] together, her posts received enough comments[6] and traffic to force Fur Affinity offline for around half an hour, until they were deleted.[7]